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Author A.J Cosmo has opened his blog to Children’s Authors in his “Fellow Fridays” posts. I am thrilled and feel super lucky to be featured today in the Grand Opening of “Fellow Fridays”. A.J Cosmos has reached Indie Author success with his bestselling book “The Monster That Ate My Socks” for his ability to tell fascinating stories in a way that truly speaks to children. He now has nearly 40 books under his belt and a growing number of fans. Please stop by his blog as he will continue to write on a variety of topics with a special spot for aspiring children’s authors. Thank you A.J Cosmos!Fellow Fridays: Elsa Takaoka | A.J. Cosmo – My Blog

Several years ago before the birth of my own children, I ran across an old friend and her then eight month old baby, Aubrey. Aubrey was a beautiful read headed, blue-eyed cutie who was sitting happily in the grocery cart and using her tiny hands to sign words. At first I felt a bit shy to ask why the baby was signing as I had imagined ASL (American Sign Language) was used only by the Deaf. As I spent more time around Aubrey, I quickly realized there was great advantage in being able to communicate basic needs and wants before she was able to speak words. Aubrey’s ASL sings included words such as “eat’ “all done” “more” “milk” and “no”, simple signs that made a world of difference. Today Aubrey is a happy and smart second grader who is reading much higher than her grade level, whether this is an after affect of early communicating or great parenting, I can not say for sure, but it is most likely a combination of the two.

When I came across the book Easy Guide To Basic Baby Sign Language by J.R Cagle, I was immediately curious, my own baby is now an 18 month old toddler who has no problem communicating her needs but I wondered if it were not too late to teach both of my girls, ages 5 and 18 months and myself basic ASL.

What I like about this book:

The book is broken into 13 chapters, three of which are dedicated to teaching parents; The History of Baby Sign Language, The Benefits of Baby Sign Language and Helpful Hints to Getting Started. The remaining ten chapters are dedicated to basic ASL signs for; food, family, animals, the body, manners, bed time and playtime to name a few with each sign being both explained and illustrated. The layout of the book is very simple, uncluttered and easy to navigate which to me is one of the most important aspects of any guide.

Author J.R. Cagle set out to write a Baby Sign Language book and wrote an excellent ASL beginners book for all children and their parents. I plan to use the book to teach myself and my two girls basic ASL words. Although both my little girls are highly verbal, there is a great feeling of satisfaction in learning a new language, and there will be an even greater sense of accomplishment if one day we are lucky enough to meet a friend who is fluent in ASL.

Introducing Author J.R Cagle

Where does your interest and expertise in ASL stem from?

I initially heard about baby signing many years ago through the course of conversation. Later, I had friends and family use it with their children, and I was amazed watching the communication take place. The topic fascinated me because of what I saw and the benefits including early communication, confidence building, the creation of stronger bonds and improvements in communication skills. I knew that if I ever had children I would want to use this tool, and as I began to read the top selling books I noticed a few issues that frustrated me:

Mixed signs: Some books had a mixture of homemade and ASL signs or ASL and BSL (British Sign Language) signs.

Indexes: Some books did not have indexes at all which makes is cumbersome to access information.

Images: Some of the images in other books simply quite frankly looked scary.

When my wife became pregnant, I was driven by the desire to use baby signing with our daughter. I dedicated myself to the topic and spent countless hours and months reading and studying this topic. I must have read thirty books at least not to mention every website out there. Baby signing and ASL are both very rich, deep, interesting topics. There are many opportunities to use them

Who would you like to see benefit from your guide?

This book was designed specifically for busy parents. When our little girl was born, she wasn’t sleeping which meant we weren’t either. Any time that we could find was incredibly rare and precious to us. Reading a book about anything was down to necessity. I knew that other parents were in the same boat, and any thing I could do to make the information more easily accessible would be appreciated.

Where can we find it?

The book is available on Amazon, iTunes, Nook and Kobo. Here are links:

Today I will be introducing the work of Joseph Foster a debut children’s author/illustrator of Hobbs Goblin in The Treasure Adventure. Author Joseph Foster has done an excellent job with his first book, he has managed to break free of the all too common ‘problem, solution, morale’ of first time children’s authors and has created a book that invites the reader to partake in the story as the adventure unfolds. The book is engaging, action packed and age appropriate, understood by the youngest of readers and liked by older readers for its friendly non-condescending narrative. The best part of the story has to be the brilliant surprise ending which holds ‘treasures untold’ and is sure to warm the heart with a feeling of contentment.

About the author:

I have kept an eye of this debut author and have learned a thing or two from him, Joseph Foster has created such a wonderful presence in social media, the launch of his book has been a great success, ranking in many five star reviews and a quickly grown fan base. Of course I believe the book is fresh and wonderful and a great start, but what stands out about author Joseph Foster is his enthusiasm. His confidence and love for what he does radiates! A truly passionate and creative individual who is also confident and energetic the perfect combination for the making of a successful Indie Children’s Author- well done Joseph, keep up the good work and keep going! I’m cheering for you and your little Goblins.Hobbs Goblin Hobbs Goblin in The Treasure Adventure: Joseph Foster: 9781499299984: Amazon.com: Books

First, tell us a little about who you are and how you became an artist.
My name is Catherine Toennisson, or Cat for short. I’m pretty tall and pretty awkward. I like video games, coffee and nature. I can be lazy, but I like to work hard. I try my best to be nice to everyone! I’ve been an artist since I was old enough for arts and crafts, but didn’t realize why I wanted to be an artist until late in high school.

Did you know from an early age you wanted to be an illustrator? Who influenced you as a child and prompted you to pursue a career as an artist?
I’ve gone through a lot of changes in my art! When I was little, I wanted to paint like Leonardo da Vinci. Then I saw the behind-the-scenes tape on The Lion King and decided that I wanted to become an animator for Disney. Somewhere around middle and high school I got really into graphic novels and web comics. I started studying the work of Hayao Miyazaki, who is still my hero to this day. He had a great influence on how I view stories and animation. I read and referenced every one of his film art books. I enjoyed and studied every animation he ever directed or worked on, even the old ones from back where he was beginning. I read his biography and his graphic novel “Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wind” and “Shuna no Tabi” from cover to cover. I even studied his storyboard. I have a couple small printed collections of his storyboards from Nausicaa. His work lead me to others – Isao Takahata, for example and onward to other studios like Pixar, Blue Sky, and Laika. Now I’m writing my own webcomic and have taken quite an interest in freelancing. I’ve been illustrating children’s books, comics, graphic novels and trying to get my foot in the door of the animation industry as a storyboard artist. The path to where I am now has been winding, but I’ve learned through all of it that it’s the story and the art together that’s important, whether it’s animation, comics, or illustration. It’s about telling the story; and balance between the two that makes a story good. I still have a lot to learn, a lot of experiences to have and a lot of mistakes to make. A couple months ago I met Tom Bancroft, the animator of Simba from Lion King and Mushu from Mulan at a convention. I gave him my card and bought a signed drawing from him. But I was too nervous to tell him how much The Lion King influenced me as a child. I hope one day, when I’m wiser, to meet Hayao Miyazaki and thank him for how much his work has influenced and taught me!

This interview first appeared here

http://alanamunroauthor.com

Who had been a constant support throughout your journey as an artist?
I’m so lucky to have my family and friends support me being an artist! My mom and dad have always been a constant support, making sure I always have what I need and encouraging me! My older sister is a huge inspiration, perusing her dream of being an art teacher. I really do have a great family and my boyfriend claims he’s my biggest fan. It’s incredibly tough for an artist to have no support. I’ve met countless artists who say that their parents don’t want them to pursue art because they wouldn’t make any money. This is perfectly logical, but completely eliminates happiness from the formula. There are always late nights and part time jobs. There’s always a passion to pursue what you love above everything else. Art is a tough market but it’s also a big one. It’s definitely possible to make a living from your art if you keep at it!

Where did you learn to illustrate?
I went to the Art Institute of Tennessee-Nashville, but honestly, that’s not where I learned to illustrate. I learned on my own, like so many others. Illustration was a thing I did outside of classes. I freelanced a bit while going to school. I taught myself how to illustrate and do sequential art. Also, to make jewelry, dolls, paint in different medias, play a bit of guitar, cook, and tons of other stuff. You don’t learn everything from school, especially art. You just can’t! Illustration, like a lot of other things, takes a lifetime of practice. It’s something you have to constantly hone, and I’m still making mistakes.

What skill do you wish you possessed?
The ability to fly!

What does your workplace look like?
Currently I own a desktop and a Wacom tablet. I work from home and do most of my work on the computer through Photoshop and Paint Tool Sai. But I also have an easel. This is where I paint acrylics and watercolors. I also own a couple thousand sketchbooks that usually pile on top of my scanner. I sketch in mechanical pencil and ink pens usually. My workstation is often cluttered by coffee cups and I have a Rubix cube to twist while thinking.

Can you describe the processes you go through when working on an illustration from start to finish?
This was my process for Goo and Spot, and The Do Not Wiggle Riddle.
First I look at the words that go along with the illustration and get Mrs. Takaoka’s input! She often tells me what setting she’d like and what characters to use. She also lets me know if she’d like any of them doing anything in particular. The first part is just shooting ideas. Next I do a sketch, often on paper. I have a better sense of depth and drawing that way, I’ve found. I scan it in and set the size. I always make the file size two times bigger than it should be to preserve resolution. I email it after I clean it up a bit and get her opinion. During this step she lets me know what she’d like to change or add, and I tweak the sketch until it is right. After that, I ink the sketch. I use a program called Paint Tool Sai. It’s like a very simple version of Photoshop. I send in the inks to Mrs. Elsa and we tweak some more! Once that is approved, I flat color everything, often kind of messily. The colors usually take the most revisions to get right. Once all the colors are approved, I work on rendering the final piece. I clean up the colors, shade and highlight, and add detail to the parts that need it. I bring it into Photoshop for certain brushes or text. Once that is finished, I send her the final to be approved. Because of all the steps we did before, often we don’t make big changes at this point. Once the final is good to go, I send her the Photoshop file!

Are there any illustrations in Goo and Spot that were inspired by your life and your childhood?
Oh, many! I remember doing most of the things that the children do in the illustrations. Many of the children were inspired from playing with my siblings and nephew. I worked at a Girl Scout camp for a couple summers in high school, so I knew how kids act from an adult’s point of view. One page in particular- page 9, the one with all the children playing outside – is what I made a special request for. I asked if I could put my nephew in, of course. He’s the blonde playing with the ball, in the short sleeved sweater that my big sister knitted him. But then, I asked Mrs. Elsa if she’d be alright with me adding in a little girl in a wheelchair. I asked this specifically because my twin sister spent a lot of her childhood in a wheelchair, needing leg braces, back and leg surgery to combat her cerebral palsy. I remember wanting to push her around a lot. We used to play ball on the black top or jump rope. Sometimes though, I’d run off with my friends. It must have been lonely for her at times, and I wanted to put a child in the book for kids who weren’t blessed with perfect health and could relate too. Not that having braces slowed down my sister! We used to climb the 100 foot pines in my back yard. I remember doing it once the very day she got out of her cast! Crissy is all grown up now. We still look similar, but we’re very different. Her last surgery lengthened the muscles in her legs. She can walk and run now, better than ever! She loves to write and I love to draw. We still talk every day.

Does illustrating always come easily to you, or do you ever suffer from ‘illustrator’s block?

I get illustrators or artist block all the time. Sometimes it’s easy to draw something, but most of the time, it’s a struggle! I’m barely ever satisfied with my work, even when it’s finished. I still have paintings that I’ve been working on for years, haha. Sometimes I get into such a slump; I can’t paint or draw anything at all! I often go do something else when that happens, like bake a cake, go on a walk or play guitar. It’s really nerve wracking when I’m on a deadline, but often if I do that, I’m back to normal in a couple days, and get more done then I would have if I struggled through it.

What else do you like to do, other than write and illustrate books?
I like to swim, go on hikes, take photos and cook! I also like to play video games. My favorite series is The Legend of Zelda.

Where do you get inspiration for your illustrations and how have you developed your personal style?
Oh boy, this is a tough one. My inspiration I’ve found is taken from my experiences and the people around me. I’ve found that artists are copycats; we take things and tweak them, or put them together to form a particular style. Every style is different, even if they look the same (unless that person is copying because they’re lazy) but in the beginning of learning to be an artist, everyone copies. We copy our teacher’s styles, our mentors and inspirations. We copy our experiences and try to render our feelings. Over time, we put these things together. We figure out how we want our art to look like and that’s a personal style! I’m not saying all styles are the same, because they’re not. Everyone has something in their art that makes them different from the others, whether it’s the way they like to draw an eye or a tree. I look for a lot of my inspiration in nature. I like giving my art a round and organic feel. I like to emphasize facial expressions and movement. I like to put clouds in the skies I paint and varieties of plants on the ground. I like how my sketches look, showing through what I paint. That’s part of my style!

What advice do you have for children who have dreams of one day becoming an artist?
Never stop perusing your art. If it’s what you want to do, don’t ever give up! You can be good at anything as long as you practice. People all start at different levels, so don’t be discouraged if someone your age is better than you. You need to find your own unique style.

The end of the three day free promotion of Goo and Spot is near and it has been fun! We managed to make it to top 1 in Free Children’s eBook for several hours and currently stand at number 2, what this means for Goo and Spot, time has yet to tell but I have learned a lot from doing this promotion.
As a self-published author the amount of things to learn is HUGE, strategies change, opinions differ, luck mixes in.
In these past three days I have taken a crash course of categories, selling lists, KDP and promoting sites. I thank every author that has kindly shared their own experiences for newbies like me to learn from.
I LOVE writing for kids, I absolutely LOVE it, and will continue to improve- in the meantime I thank you, all of you for helping me.

Goo and Spot Books are on a roll today! Our submission for the #Weneeddiversebooks was posted today over on Official site of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks Campaign We need diverse books is a call for publishers to print books that feature characters that don’t always fit a certain mold.

When Catherine and I worked on this book one thing we both strongly agreed on was the importance to have multicultural, multiracial characters, my own two little girls are the perfect blend of Mexican-Japanese. However our proudest accomplishment is in having included a character in a wheelchair a touching request by the brilliant artist Catherine Toennisson

I am so happy to be a part of the call for more diverse books, I am sitting at my computer grinning from ear to ear and in near tears! We are doing it! With your support we are making our goals come true, we will make it in the children’s book world- thank you!﻿

Funny, silly and sweet, Goo and Spot teaches the importance of good listening skills. This amusing riddle educates without sounding like lessons and lectures. Instead, it has a fun and imaginative style. This book about Goo and Spot’s amazing and colorful adventures will definitely hit a child’s funny bone, with a valuable lesson learned along the way!

Goo and Spot in The Do Not Wiggle Riddle has received a five star review from Reader’s favorite and a wonderful review from the daddy and daughter duo from Readitdaddy! To see the Reviews please read below.

Book Review
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite

Goo and Spot in the Do Not Wiggle Riddle by Elsa C. Takaoka is a silly and cheerful book for small children. It will take them on a fun and colorful trip that will teach them how to listen. The book has some valuable lessons for children expressed in a playful manner. The rhymes, wiggles, giggles, and riddles, along with the illustrations, will enchant children and teach them the importance of developing their listening skills. The words and the pictures in the book will draw the attention of kids and motivate them to listen and learn.

Children’s books always have to be colorful and attractive to capture their attention. This book is tops in all those aspects and leaves young readers feeling happy and contented. I would recommend this book to be kept in all children’s and school libraries. Many concepts are brought together in an interesting way. The rhyme scheme and the riddles make children think and observe their surroundings and give them the freedom to use words in a better way.

Illustrations always hold a prominent part in children’s story books because that is what attracts a child to pick up a book. The illustrator, Catherine Toennisson, has done a commendable job by making the book come alive with the colorful depiction of characters and scenes. The illustrations convey the author’s concept and thoughts clearly to kids and this book will reach out to readers in a big way.”
Read it Daddy ReviewWe truly have been spoilt rotten by the sheer quality of self published and independently published titles we’ve covered so far this year but there’s always room for more, and certainly lots of room for books that are a colourful riot such as this first “Goo and Spot” adventure.

So what is The Do Not Wriggle Riddle? Elsa and Spot want to find out, but as they race through a colourful landscape, they’re none the wiser. Each of their friends gives a clue, and the clue is in the question – but can such a mind-mangling riddle be solved? It’s going to be fun to find out!

Elsa Takaoka writes a fast-paced (quite frenetic, in fact) chase as Goo and Spot meet up with friends to join the caper. Catherine Toenisson’s inventive artwork is gorgeous, truly eyecatching and we loved all the characters this extremely talented duo have created.

This is a great inclusive book, good for boys and girls, and it’s also a great moral lesson on the value of pricking up your ears and listening to everyone around you in order to satisfy your own curiosity and learn more. Just our cup of tea!

Charlotte’s best bit: Finding out the answer to the riddle right at the end of the book! http://readitdaddy.blogspot.jp/2014/04/indie-pen-dance-wednesday-riotous-caper.html

Today marks the end of teacher appreciation week, Illustrator Catherine Toennisson and I have come together to create a thank you gift for all of the teachers out there who work tirelessly for the benefit of our children- a poem, a doodle and a printable.

We are also happy to announce that May 20th marks the beginning of our two day Free Kindle ebook download for our book Goo and Spot in The Do Not Wiggle Riddle, please mark your calendars and help us get our work out there, we are both passionate about what we do and hope that we can make our mark in children’s literature.

She joins our desks to make a bed
and stacks up books to lay her head
she grades our papers while she sleeps
and in her hand her red pens leaps,
fail -fail-fail! fail-fail-PASS!
she hands them out next day in class.

When morning comes she tidies up
grabs her toothbrush and her cup
and joins the rest to freshen up
they speak of us, comparing notes
and talk in code …
( we are the “g-o-a-t-s”)

In one long line all nice and neat
they grab their food and take a seat
a glob of this a blob of that …
Ewe -Yuck -SPLAT!

And for dessert there’s applesauce,
when all is done they brush and floss
and comb the hairs upon their heads
matted by their makeshift beds

They greet us all with a great big smile
and cheerfully walk desk by desk
and isle by isle
they think of their children
each one by one
writing down what we like and think is fun

The hard work is done it’s now time to play
it’s their house by night
but our classroom by day
for all their real work is after-hours
using teacher’s only superpowers!

It has been a while since I introduce an indie author and today I am breaking the dry spell for children’s author and illustrator Kathryn L. Novak with her early reader chapter book “It Stinks to be Pink,” and her rhyming picture books; “The Very Best You,” and “EZ as 1-2-3: Come Learn About Bugs A-Z”.

I have often said that I stand behind every indie author I introduce, and decide to introduce them based on the message of their book. Kathryn’s books are exceptional in this regard, her whimsical illustrations and poetic rhymes send children a deep message of self-acceptance, love and contentment.

Her chapter book “It Stinks to be Pink,” takes the reader to the island of Flora and island located “in the most distant waters far across the sea, far beyond the Hawaiian Islands,” and introduces them to the small furry creatures that live there the Fuzzipuffs who are happy, little balls of blue fur. One Fuzzipuff stands out from the others- Spotty, a sad little creature whose only wish is to be as blue on the outside as he feels in the inside. Spotty, is the only fuzzipuff in Flora who is Pink and he is not happy about it.

Now, you would think that you know where this story is headed, Spotty learns to love himself as he is and embraces his inner PINKNESS-not so. The message of the story is much, much deeper. “It Stinks to be Pink,” manages to do what very few books can, send children a message of TRUE self-acceptance a message that color is only skin deep. Spotty is loved and accepted by the other Fuzzipuff children who encourage Spotty to chaise after his dreams, no matter what color his dreams may be.

Kathryn L. Novak’s message is in a sense both timeless and new- accept who you ARE and who you WANT to be, too.

And without further ado I present you Kathryn L. Novak

1. Why do you write for children?

Growing up in my family as in many others, Iﾕm sure, babies and children were always loved, cherished and adored. Any time there were little ones in our home, all eyes were on them. It didnﾕt matter whether or not they were members of the family. Both my parents were like that, so I guess I learned it from them. The other reason I write for children in particular, is because it is so much fun! What a pleasure it is to spend my days painting bright and whimsical images for my books.

2. What message do you want children to take from your books?

I want children to love themselves and know that they are unique and valuable. I also want to let them know that they have the ability to shape their own destiny.I wrote my first and second books with a specific purpose in mind. I sincerely wanted to help children avoid some of the challenges I faced as a child by arming them with self-confidence, and a positive belief system. I believe we can overcome almost anything as long as we believe we can. I love this quote from Henry Ford, ﾒWhether you believe you can, or you believe you canﾕt, youﾕre right.ﾓ

3. You are an author and illustrator, what has inspired your art style?

When painting my first book, I wanted the images to be so beautiful that they would appeal to adults as well as children. In the way that Disney films are created to appeal to people of all ages. I believe the message in my book can also be helpful to adults as well as children.

4. How many books have you published?

I recently published my third book (a rhyming picture book), EZ as 1-2-3 Come Learn About Bugs A-Z. It is the first book I have written that isnﾕt a self-esteem book for children. It does however teach the alphabet and interesting bug facts, so I feel it will also be of value to children. I want all of my books to have something more to offer than cute pictures.

5. What is the most rewarding/challenging part about self-publishing?
I think what I find most rewarding and freeing about self-publishing is the freedom it allows. I alone make the decision how my book will be written, illustrated, and distributed. I enjoy almost every aspect of self-publishing, except for the necessity of marketing my books. Marketing the book is the most challenging part of self-publishing. I would rather write ten books than market one. I suppose it is because I dislike spending so much time and energy trying to get my books seen. The only positive is that once people find my books, they always love them. I suppose it all boils down to the fact that Iﾕd rather spend all of my days writing and painting.

6. What are some things you like to do when you are not writing?
Right now, I spend almost all of my free time painting. Currently, my focus is on abstracts. It is the opposite of my book illustrations, but I just love it.

7. Do you have any favorite children authors/books?
I, like many others, have always enjoyed almost everything written by Dr. Seuss, I enjoy them to this very day. One of my favorites books as a child is, The Borrowers, by Mary Norton. I read it many times as a child, and I read a few of her other books in the series as well.

“Children’s books always have to be colorful and attractive to capture their attention. This book is tops in all those aspects and leaves young readers feeling happy and contented. I would recommend this book to be kept in all children’s and school libraries. Many concepts are brought together in an interesting way. The rhyme scheme and the riddles make children think and observe their surroundings and give them the freedom to use words in a better way.”